Decisions, Decisions
by miss.daydreaming
Summary: Young Imoen and Avelin try out their future careers, with varying degrees of success. Written for the Attic quiz: An Aural Discourse. Contains mild language.


A/N: Rated for mild language, don't say you weren't warned. Please review if you like it. Constructive criticism is, as always, very welcome. Written for the Attic quiz: An Aural Discourse

Disclaimer: Baldur's Gate belongs to Black Isle studios etc. Not me. The song is also not mine, this version is by Mark Mandel but there are other available if you search the net.

Decisions, Decisions

"Hey, Immy," said the blonde-haired girl lying on her back in the grass.

"Yeah, Ve?" replied the girl perched on the edge of the fountain, trailing grass-stems through the water.

"What do you think you'd like to be when you grow up?" asked Avelin, still not bothering to sit up.

Imoen looked up in surprise. "What you asking that for, silly? We're both gonna be great adventurers, remember?"

Avelin sat up in order to give her best friend a withering stare. Or at least her best attempt at one; the expressions didn't work very well on an eight year-old. "I know that, Imoen. But what king of adventurer? And don't say 'a great one'."

"Took the word right outta my mouth." Avelin tried the expression again. "Wind changes you'll get stuck like that. I don't wanna be stuck with a best friend with a face as sour as old Ulraunt's."

"Oh…" Avelin tried to think of a suitable reply. Unfortunately she failed. "Just answer the question!"

Imoen grinned. "Sure thing, Ve." She turned thoughtful for a minute. Then the grin was back. "I'm gonna be a thief. A beautiful, dangerous rogue, just like in all the stories. 'Cept not all evil and nasty like some of them cos that's not nice. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah, neat, Immy. How are you going to learn though?"

"Easy-peasy. I'll teach myself. I can run _much_ faster than you. And I got great balance. Easy."

Avelin laughed. "You can't just teach yourself like that. You'll make all kinds of mistakes and you won't even know."

"I can too teach myself!" Imoen wasn't very good at looking indignant but she tried her best. "I can do _anything_! Go on, dare me!"

"Okay, ummm…" Avelin thought about it. "Thieves are meant to be agile right? Then I dare you to walk all the way round the rim of the fountain. No stopping."

"Oh, come on, Ve! That's _so_ easy." She jumped up onto the fountain rim, took a minute to steady herself and then, to Avelin's utter disgust, proceeded to almost run along the narrow ledge. Avelin had been half hoping that her friend would get a soaking. "Told you so," Imoen said, jumping down.

"Oh, be quiet," grumbled Avelin, flopping down onto her back again.

"Hey, Ve?" said Imoen after a short silence.

"Yes, Immy?"

"What do _you _wanna do when you're older?"

Avelin sat up again. "I've been thinking about it. I decided yesterday. I'm going to be a bard."

Imoen burst out laughing. Avelin glared; that was _not_ the reaction she had been looking for. "You've gotta be kidding, Ve!"

"No, I'm not! Why should I be? What's wrong with me wanting to be a bard? It'd be brilliant. Much better than being a thief. I'd get to use magic!"

Imoen laughed again. "You'd never be able to learn magic. You need patience for that, Ve! 'Sides, to be a bard you gotta be able to _sing_."

"What? I can sing!"

"Can't. I've heard you sing. And you really can't."

"Can."

"Can't."

"Can!"

"Can't, can't, can't!"

"CAN!" The disagreement got louder and louder until the two girls were standing up yelling into each others faces. Imoen refrained from yelling back, not wanting to get her best friend into a temper. That didn't mean that she was willing to back down though.

"Fine, prove it," demanded Imoen. "Sing something, right now."

"Fine! I know a great song. I read it in a book the other day." Avelin climbed up onto the fountain, feeling a bard's need for drama. She cleared her throat and launched into her sing with great enthusiasm.

"_You may pounce on the cat as he walks by his lone,_

_The mole has a hole into which you can crawl,_

_You must blindfold the basilisk or turn into stone,_

_But the hedgehog can never be buggered at all._"

Avelin certainly sang with enthusiasm. Unfortunately it could not make up for skill. A passing cat had stopped to stare, with what Imoen considered an utterly shocked expression. She wondered briefly who had written the song that they had been able to fit inside a mole's hole. She and Avelin had once found one in a sandy bank and it had been far too small even for them to wriggle into.

"_I don't recommend that you tackle the skunk._

_I did once myself, I'm ashamed to recall,_

_I must have been extraordinarily drunk!_

_But the hedgehog can never be buggered at all._"

The cat decided to join in with the second verse in a loud shriek. Privately, Imoen thought she preferred the cat's singing. Avelin continued undeterred.

"_As a friend to the children, commend me the Yak._"

Just then Imoen spotted something _really_ disturbing coming down the library steps towards them. "Uh, Ve?"

"Don't interrupt, Immy. I'm not finished.

"_He's perfect to start them on when they are small._"

"Ve, I _really_ think…"

"_Immy_! You wanted me to do this.

"_For they cannot slip off of his very broad back._"

"Ve! Stop singing bout children riding yaks and _look behind you_!"

"I'm not _finished_, Immy!

"_But the hedgehog can never be BUGGEEEEERED AAT AAAAAAAAAALL!_"

"Don't you move you vulgar brats!" Imoen winced at the enraged scream. Avelin spun around, falling off the fountain. Fortunately into the grass rather than the water.

"Uh-oh." Both girls whispered at the sight of a furious Ulraunt standing glaring at the two of them.

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"What did we do?" whispered Avelin, rubbing her arm where Ulraunt had dragged her up six flights of stairs to his study.

"Dunno," replied Imoen. "Didn't think you're singing was bad enough for Ulraunt to hear it all the way up here."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but it was _real_ bad, Ve."

"So, maybe I need a _little_ more practice but…"

The disagreement was interrupted before it could descend into another shouting match by the arrival of Ulraunt with Gorion in tow. Avelin was happy to see her foster father, unlike Ulraunt, Gorion had never shouted at her in her life.

"Very well, Ulraunt," Gorion said tiredly. "I will deal with them."

"Excellent. Get the little brats out of my sight and keep them away. Never have I heard such filth!" Ulraunt slammed his office door in their faces.

Gorion sighed. "Come children. Please try to keep out of Ulraunt's way in future. It is much easier for all concerned. Now, Imoen, I believe Winthrop has chores for you. Avelin, I wish to speak with you in my study." Imoen shot Avelin a worried look before running off, glad to be out of trouble herself, even if it did mean doing chores.

Avelin followed her foster father to his study, desperately trying to figure out what she had done wrong. She had never heard that singing was against any rules. Although, if you believed Imoen, Ulraunt made them up just to spite the two girls. "Father," she burst out as soon as they entered his study, "what have I done? Why was Ulraunt so cross?"

Gorion searched her face for any traces of guile. None were present and Avelin was a _very_ poor liar. The entire incident was obviously one of …misunderstanding. He considered how to explain it with the minimum of embarrassment to them both. Not for the first time he became painfully aware of just how much harder it was to be a father than he had assumed. For all his vaunted wisdom he failed to find a solution that would not be humiliating for either of them. Finally, he settled on passing Avelin a dictionary open at the letter 'B'.

"Oh!" Avelin stammered, blushing madly. "Oh…oh!" She couldn't find anything else to say, although she did wonder how on Faerun she was going to explain this to Imoen.

"There, there, child," said Gorion, patting her shoulder kindly. "You did not know. Although I am certain you have convinced Ulraunt of your utter depravity." Avelin managed a very slight smile.

"Maybe I won't be a bard after all. Haven't exactly made a good start have I." She brushed a few tears off her cheeks. "Besides, that's really…eww. If that's what bards sing about then I'm not going to be one." She nodded decisively.

Gorion chose not to disabuse her of her new view of the standard bardic repertoire, after all, it would quickly get very draughty if today was representative of her singing skills. Monks were notoriously tight-fisted and he didn't believe they would be too happy about having to replace every window in the keep. "So _that_ was the purpose of that little display. I think perhaps that would be an excellent idea, child. I do have another idea that might be more agreeable. Have you ever considered magery?" The Avelin did smile.

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Later that evening, after dinner, Imoen knocked very quietly on Gorion's door. "Enter." She crept in. Gorion intimidated her just a little, despite the fact that he was always kind to her. He was still a great mage after all.

"Sir…umm, I haven't seen Ve, umm…Avelin…all evening. How come she's in trouble? It isn't fair. She didn't do anything!"

"Imoen," Gorion interrupted softly, "please do not call me 'sir'. I am not Ulraunt to stand on needless formality." Imoen giggled. "But do _not_ repeat that. Now, for an explanation of events you will need to ask Avelin, who is in her room I believe. All I will say is that she is not in trouble."

"Oh," said Imoen, sounding a little disappointed and hoping he wouldn't notice. Oh course, he did.

"I had not thought that you would be happy with the idea of a friend in trouble."

"I'm not!" Imoen studied the ground with an intensity her tutors would have killed to have her display in lessons. "'Cept…I sorta hoped if she was in trouble she wouldn't wanna be a bard anymore cos she's _really _awful."

Gorion chuckled. "Have no fear, Imoen. Avelin has been…discouraged from pursuing a bardic career."

"Oh…good."

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Later still Imoen crept up to Avelin's door and knocked even more quietly than she had on Gorion's. "Ve? You in there?"

"GO AWAY! I'm NOT talking about it. EVER!"


End file.
